Side Story 1: Long Take : Part 17

The official name of the new filming location was Square Roger-Stephane.

It was a name that had been changed in 2008.

However, the local residents still called it by its former name, Recamier Park.

Nestled warmly at the end of a cul-de-sac, this spot was a cherished location kept by the editor.

Although the area was quite crowded with famous department stores, cathedrals, and the sprawling 25-hectare Luxembourg Park nearby, this small park, hidden away, was as peaceful as a secret garden.

When the two entered the park, the students had already arrived.

They wore their own clothes but had received a simple touch of makeup.

Even with just that, they looked as if they were excitedly experiencing life as real models.

A male student, who spotted Song Hyunsoo after he changed outfits, exclaimed in surprise.

“Wow… you look amazing!”

He was the one with the guitar.

“Do I?”

“I thought the last outfit suited you well, but this is… how should I put it… you look just like an actor.”

From the man’s expression and gaze, it was clear this wasn’t just empty flattery.

Song Hyunsoo felt a bit shy but was pleased nonetheless.

“It looks like it’s going to be a fun shoot, don’t you think?”

Thud. Something heavy settled on his shoulder—it was Yoon Jooho. The man answered with a shy smile, shrugging his shoulders.

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it. I’ve never done anything like this before, so I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do.”

“Just act like you do when you’re hanging out with your friends.”

Nodding at Yoon Jooho’s advice, the man glanced around the park as if seeing it anew and asked,

“How did an outsider know about Recamier? Tourists almost never find this place.”

“For shoots like this, we get help from local coordinators. Our coordinator’s got great connections.”

“I’m glad it’s not Luxembourg or Tuileries.”

“Do you come here often?”

“My ex-boyfriend used to live around here.”

“Ah…”

A lot could be felt in Yoon Jooho’s simple “Ah.”

One thing was certain: he definitely didn’t mean, “Ah, so he’s gay.” It was closer to, “I knew it. Just as I thought. That’s why he was being so friendly with my boyfriend.” Even if no one else noticed, Song Hyunsoo could tell.

Trying to lighten the mood, Song Hyunsoo smiled brighter and slipped out from under Yoon Jooho’s arm.

“Haha… The park is really beautiful.”

He could feel Yoon Jooho’s meaningful gaze clinging to the back of his head, but he knew better than to turn around.

The models moved deeper into the garden, settling on a beautiful set of steps surrounded on three sides by buildings.

In this spontaneous situation, a new energy sprang up among the filming team.

“Theo, could you play the guitar for us?”

“Of course!”

At the editor’s suggestion, the male student took the guitar from its case and strummed a simple melody, as if tuning it.

To help ease the awkwardness among the university student models, popcorn and ice cream were handed out as props.

With snacks in hand, the students, looking a bit tense, asked the editor,

“What should we do now?”

“Just eat, talk, and have fun.”

With only one couple sitting on a green bench with their dog as spectators, the shoot began.

The first few minutes were more like a warm-up to help everyone relax.

The models, scattered up and down the steps, looked up and down at each other, keeping the conversation going for the time being.

A girl with long curly hair, sitting a few steps above Yoon Jooho, asked,

“If you have a social media account, could you share it with me? I want to follow you.”

“I don’t update very often, though.”

“That’s fine.”

She handed over her phone with the app’s search window open, and Yoon Jooho entered his Instagram Account, handing the phone back to her.

After checking his account profile, she gasped in shock.

Her eyes and mouth widened in what was almost disbelief.

“What the… This is insane, this person!”

“What, what is it?”

Her friends, who were sitting nearby, buzzed with curiosity and leaned in. She shouted,

“He has nearly fifty million followers!”

“What??”

Now everyone except the guy tuning his guitar against the stair railing rushed over to her. He, as if he had seen it coming, spoke in a casual tone,

“I knew he’d be famous. Look at his face. It’d be weird if he wasn’t.”

“Even so, did you really expect fifty million followers? Don’t kid yourself. Angèle only has about four million!”

A person with nearly fifty million followers.

The way the students looked at Yoon Jooho changed.

It wasn’t so much a calculation of worth as it was pure awe.

For people their age, the number of followers on an Instagram Account was practically social proof.

While everyone was focused on Yoon Jooho’s account, the guy with the guitar shyly handed his phone to Song Hyunsoo.

“What about you? If it’s okay, could you share your account?”

Song Hyunsoo unconsciously glanced at Yoon Jooho to gauge his reaction.

Perhaps the guy noticed this, too.

Yoon Jooho, clearly aware of the conversation, munched on popcorn and pretended not to care, as if it didn’t matter if Song Hyunsoo shared his account.

“I don’t have fifty million followers, so don’t be disappointed.”

Song Hyunsoo entered his account and handed the phone back.

“Wow, even a hundred thousand is an amazing number.”

The guy stumbled through reading the English name on the profile.

“Hyun… Soo. Is that right?”

“Close. It’s Hyunsoo.”

“Ah, sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“I’m Theo. Theo Morel.”

After saying his name and flashing a grin, he began strumming the guitar in earnest.

It was Justin Bieber’s “Peaches.”

Unlike the original, his slow, humming voice was surprisingly sweet.

Above Song Hyunsoo’s head, Yoon Jooho muttered in Korean,

“Showing off his charm, huh.”

Of course.

Even though someone had just asked for Song Hyunsoo’s Instagram Account, Yoon Jooho had remained quiet—until now, when he finally revealed his true feelings.

Song Hyunsoo silently smiled and leaned back to look up at Yoon Jooho.

“It’s got a nice vibe, don’t you think?”

“A nice vibe?”

“It’s a song we listened to a lot. I like it.”

“……”

After discovering a video of Justin Bieber performing this song acoustically, the two of them had been obsessed with it for a while.

Song Hyunsoo would imitate Justin Bieber’s emotional singing on stage just to make Yoon Jooho laugh.

Whenever he did that, Yoon Jooho would roll around on the sofa, laughing as if Song Hyunsoo were the world’s greatest comedian, and after the performance, he would throw his arms wide and hug Song Hyunsoo, swaying side to side.

As if he couldn’t contain his love.

Listening to the song played on guitar in Paris, a piece tied to such memories, Song Hyunsoo felt himself swept up in a new sensation.

The fig trees, beeches, and small linden trees with red berries seemed to shake the pleasant autumn air as if laughing along with them.

Scooping up ice cream with his spoon, Song Hyunsoo said,

“Just because someone likes men doesn’t mean they like me, you know?”

Yoon Jooho’s hand reached over his shoulder, grabbing Song Hyunsoo’s hand and stealing the ice cream from his spoon.

“Hm… and yet you still say things like that after what happened?”

Even moments like this were being captured by the camera.

The students started to relax more and more, and the atmosphere became lively.

In the photos, Yoon Jooho and Song Hyunsoo blended in with the group of college students, at once close yet ever so slightly distant.

Then suddenly, someone started a popcorn game.

It was a contest to see who could toss popcorn highest into the air and catch it in their mouth.

Soon, Yoon Jooho and Song Hyunsoo joined in.

A girl in a denim skirt and Dr. Martens landed a particularly high toss and struck a triumphant pose.

For such a simple act—tossing and catching popcorn—cheers, groans, laughter, and playful boos rang out nonstop.

Excited, Song Hyunsoo shouted,

“Hey, look! I’m good at this, aren’t I?”

Even without being called, Yoon Jooho was already watching him. On his fifth or sixth consecutive success, Song Hyunsoo’s confidence soared.

He even took off his jacket and stood up, positioning himself at the bottom of the steps.

Everyone cheered him on.

Waiting for the breeze to die down, he threw the popcorn straight up into the air.

It bounced off his forehead and onto the ground. A disappointed groan rippled through the crowd.

Retry.

This time, the popcorn barely grazed his cheek next to his lips. Even onlookers who had been watching from afar sighed with disappointment. By now, quite a crowd had gathered.

Suddenly, an eruption of cheers shot up into the sky.

On his third try, Song Hyunsoo succeeded.

Someone cheered as if their soccer team had scored a winning goal, and someone else jumped so hard popcorn from their box went flying.

In that electrifying moment, Song Hyunsoo searched for Yoon Jooho with his eyes.

He was laughing joyfully—just like when Song Hyunsoo sang “Peaches” at the top of his lungs.

As soon as the popcorn landed in his mouth, Song Hyunsoo bent backward and threw his arms wide, dancing with delight.

Yoon Jooho cheered and laughed with him.

All these scenes, captured on camera, were alive with a dynamic energy that seemed ready to leap out of the photo at any moment.

Angèle: Angèle. A French-speaking female singer from Belgium.